A social MBA: the business gurus sharing their insight on Twitter

Clare Simmons — February 2014

Twitter provides a live feed of what’s on the minds of some of the world’s most influential management thinkers. Below we offer a snapshot of thought leaders that CXOs should be following — and why.Management big thinkers who tweet

Rita Gunther McGrathColumbia Business School professor, author (End of Competitive Advantage)Handle: @rgmcgrathFollowers: 12,000 followersStyle: Responsive, fact-finding, empatheticTweet example: Davos session: Future of International e-tailing http://wp.me/p3UFR8-17kWhy follow: Pointers to some of the most-informed content on ecommerce and business strategyFrequency: Bi-hourly

CEO, Rakuten, Japan’s largest ecommerce business with a fast-rising international presenceHandle:@hmikitani_eFollowers: 4,000 followersStyle: Observations on business best practiceTweet example: How do you differentiate your business? http://linkd.in/1fYObAmWhy follow: Astute management insight from one of Japan’s most progressive business thinkersFrequency: Daily

Clay ShirkyNew York University professor, consultant and writerHandle: @cshirkyFollowers: 300,000Style: Political, provocative, humorousTweet example: “What should I do for my birthday?” My 9 y.o. daughter: “Have some nerds over and talk about the Internet. Like always.”Why follow: Pick up on conversations with elite influencers about the social and economic effects of Internet technologies.Frequency: Daily

Jeff Immelt

Chairman and CEO of General ElectricHandle:@JeffImmeltFollowers: 19,100 followersStyle: Focus on innovationTweet example: New report on how #IndustrialInternet can save industries up to $20B a year & minimize unplanned downtime http://ow.ly/pBEPNWhy follow: GE focused, but compelling as the engineering giant embraces the ‘industrial Internet,’ as it terms the Internet of Things.Frequency: Bi-weekly

Geoffrey Moore

Business author (Crossing the Chasm) and consultantHandle: @geoffreyamooreFollowers: 5,600 followersStyle: Big questions in IT, acronyms, axiomsExample tweet: Executive reminder: Data driven decision-making is a must, but facts are like iron fillings—underlying forces shape them to their ends.Why follow: Focus on how technology companies achieve greatness.Frequency: Daily

Clayton ChristensenHarvard business school professor and author (The Innovator’s Dilemma)Handle:@claychristensenFollowers: 86,700 followersStyle: More matter-of-fact and informative than conversationalTweet example: Innovation Imperative: Change Everything http://nyti.ms/1iE6uuWWhy follow: Provides insight into his thinking by retweeting more than he tweetsFrequency: Weekly

Gary Hamel

London Business School professor, consultant and business author (What Matters Now)Handle:@profHamelFollowers: 16,000 followersStyle: Management aphorisms and epiphaniesTweet example: What drives success? Over next 12 mos: execution. Over next 2 yrs: strategy. Over next 5 yrs: Competencies + platforms. Beyond that: Values.Why follow: Not much interaction, but given he only follows four people that’s hardly surprising.Frequency: Weekly

Tom PetersManagement practices guru and business author (In Search of Excellence, Re-imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age)Handle: @tom_petersFollowers: 104,000 followersStyle: Strong-willed, frank, effusiveTweet example: If you don’t help some one out in some little way every day (at work) you are only half a human.Why follow: View insider conversations between management gurusFrequency: Hourly

Lynda GrattonLondon Business School professor of management practice, consultant and business author (The Shift: The Future of Work is Already Here, The Key: How Corporations Succeed by Solving the World's Toughest Problems) and psychologistHandle:@lyndagrattonFollowers: 7,600 followersStyle: Professorial, guided contentTweet example: It’s Time for Business to Earn a License to Lead - Nice piece by @Unilever CEO Paul Polman http://huff.to/1eBEh8vWhy follow: Expertly curated links on the subject of management best practiceFrequency: Bi-weekly

• The list above features a selection of the more active business big thinkers but far from all. In fact, some of the best known names in management practice largely eschew social media, preferring to disseminate ideas and insights through more traditional media such as business books and management and academic journals.

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